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The WTA announced more awards for the 2021 season, including the WTA Coach of the Year and the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, which were awarded to Conchita Martinez and Carla Suarez Navarro, respectively. The WTA released its first list of awards earlier this week, which were voted on by members of the international media.
While the Coach of the Year was voted on by members of the WTA Coach Program, the other awards were decided based on votes by the players themselves.
Here's a look at the winners:
WTA Coach of the Year - Conchita Martinez
Conchita Martinez, Garbine Muguruza's coach since November 2019, was awarded the WTA Coach of the Year. It was under Martinez that Muruguza won Wimbledon in 2017 and the Spaniard's 2021 season was the best she's had since then.
Muruguza rose from World No. 15 to World No. 3 in 2021, winning the 2021 WTA Finals. She also won the Dubai World Tennis Championships and the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic.
Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award - Carla Suarez Navarro
The Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award, awarded to "the player who conducts herself in a manner fitting of a professional sports figure" both on and off the court, went to Carla Suarez Navarro.
Suarez Navarro also won the WTA Comeback Player of the Year after she beat Hodgkins Lymphoma earlier this year. She went on to play in the last three Majors this year, bidding a tear-filled farewell to the fans and thanking them for their support.
WTA Tournament Awards
Split into three awards, one for each category of WTA tournaments, the WTA Tournament awards are awarded to the ones with the best staff, organization, and audience.
The best WTA 1000 tournament this year was the Indian Wells Open, also known as the BNP Paribas Open. This marks the 8th consecutive year the tournament is being honored with this prestigious award.
The best WTA 500 tournament was the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, marking its third consecutive win. The best WTA 250 tournament award was shared between the Philip Island Trophy in Melbourne and the Tenerife Ladies Open, both of which organized their first ever edition on the WTA circuit this year.
Kristie Ahn received the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the second year in a row. The American won the award last year along with her Players' Council members for their efforts during the pandemic.
